This is the next chapter in my series looking at the question, “What is the pandemic preparing us to talk about.” We are looking at what we’ve learned as public education leaders over the last year and examining topics which we must embrace once the pandemic is over. This week I’m going to share some thoughts on professional development systems, structures, and what we’ve learned over the last year regarding how we’ve accelerated our learning.
Prior to the pandemic we were selling ourselves short. We were capable of learning faster than we ever imagined. We also discovered that we did not need workshops, trainers, time, or permission in some cases to jump into new ways of teaching or leading. We have been in a continual state of transition and change since the pandemic began. Another way to look at our reality though is that we have been in a continual state of learning. Learning by doing.
We are still discovering new ideas by listening, researching, watching, attending virtual training sessions. However, our time between being introduced to something new and implementing that learning is shrinking. Learning by doing.
So, once the pandemic is behind us let’s talk about how we allocate resources and our own mental models around how we learn at work. Let’s build on this momentum and find a way to honor and reward the doing.
Ryan Smith 